Full Product Details
Author: Mia Couto ,
David Brookshaw
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Imprint: Picador USA
Volume: 1
Dimensions:
Width: 12.70cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 20.10cm
Weight: 0.253kg
ISBN: 9781250309297
ISBN 10: 1250309298
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 01 May 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
An exquisite, multi-layered novel . . . David Brookshaw has captured the African and European nuances in a translation hat is poetic, agile, and so beautifully executed that it reads like an original text. --Miranda France, TLS Woman of the Ashes is a beautiful and grotesque force interweaving history with myth . . . Couto's prose carries the weight of a creation story in nearly every passage. --Daniel Bokemper, World Literature Today Based on historical events (with layers of magical realism, Achebe-style allegory, and folklore ladled on top), Couto's ninth novel . . . tells the story of Imani, a 15-year-old girl who finds herself playing a pivotal role in a 19th-century culture clash between an African emperor and Portuguese colonialists. Couto treats his characters to a world of blazing specificity, and yet Imani is also a vessel for our more contemporary battles. --Sloan Crosley, Vanity Fair Couto's mastery lies in his ability to turn his exploration of this slice of history into a commentary on all of human civilization. Richly translated by Brookshaw in words that suggest more than they say, Couto's tale evokes a sense of timelessness . . . An intriguing combination of folklore, history, and magic realism, and the first in a trilogy, this is a novel to be read and reread, savored and analyzed. --Shoba Viswanathan, Booklist (starred review) Excellent . . . Couto feathers history with folklore . . . a fascinating, intricate story. --Publishers Weekly A rich historical tale thick with allegory and imagery that recalls Marquez and Achebe. --Kirkus Reviews Woman of the Ashes weaves a stunning tale of a war-torn period. --Paste Magazine
Author Information
Mia Couto, born in Beira, Mozambique, in 1955, is one of the most prominent writers in Portuguese-speaking Africa. After studying medicine and biology in Maputo, he worked as a journalist and headed several Mozambican national newspapers and magazines. Couto has been awarded the Camões Prize for Literature and the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature, among other awards. He was also shortlisted for the 2017 International DUBLIN Literary Award and was a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize in 2015. He lives in Maputo, where he works as a biologist.
